The HR/Blastbeat initiative is designed to help companies nurture talent, engage employees and develop staff skills in a fun way, while benefiting young people in schools and colleges.
Blastbeat founder Robert Stephenson will now work with Jack Morton and Axa PPP to inspire and mentor students so they can gain the skills required to set up and run an enterprise based on the staging and promotion of a live music event. The two companies will be put together with local schools participating in the Blastbeat scheme.
HR magazine will follow the companies' experiences at every stage, up to the final Battle of the Bands competition.
"Blastbeat is a truly exciting and life-changing project and we are delighted to be part of it. We look forward to working closely with Robert Stephenson and the students," said Fiona Lawlor, HR director and senior vice president at Jack Morton Worldwide.
Axa PPP corporate responsibility director Sonia Wolsey-Cooper added: "We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen to be part of Blastbeat. Axa PPP healthcare believes strongly in playing an active role in the community and giving young people the chance to develop. The programme provides a fantastic opportunity of developing local students and raising money for charity, while developing our own employees. We are really looking forward to it."
The winners' progress will be followed through the pages of HR magazine and on hrmagazine.co.uk.
The final Battle of the Bands takes place on 6 July at the O2 Arena in London, in front of 14,000 people, where the winning act is offered management and recording deals, while the winning enterprise gets seed capital to continue its good work in the community providing gigs for teens.
The initiative is delivered by registered charity Blastbeat Education UK, founded by Stephenson. A veteran of 30 years in the music industry, managing and touring bands and running his own record label and events companies, Stephenson is dedicating the rest of his life to 'giving back' to young people and society. He is responsible for helping many acts get their start, ranging from U2 in 1980 to Jedward in 2009.
